Signal for use with vehicles.



E. S. JAMESON SlGNAL FOR USE WiTH VEHICLES APPLICATIOH man HAR.18, 1916,

1,236,566. Patented Aug. 14,1917.

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CHARLES SMITH JAMESON, F SWAMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HAROLD L. WATSON, OE LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

SIGNAL FOR USE W571i VEHICLES.

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Application filed March 18. 1916. Serial No. 85,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES SMITH JAME- SON, a citizen of the United States, residingat Swampscott, in the county of Essex, in

.the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Signals for Use with Vehicles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The immediate object of this invention is to provide an effective, and reasonably cheap, electrically-controlled indicator and signal for use with automobiles, and the like vehicles, whereby the proposed direction of movement of the said vehicle will be visibly indicated to drivers of cars following; the

construction and location of the said indicator being such that it may be readily controlled and operated by the chaufi'eur without requiring the removal of his hand from the steering Wheel.

My invention is clearly illustrated in the annexed drawings, Figure 1 being a side elevation in dotted outline of an automobile having embodied therein an indicator or signal of my present improved construction. Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged, diagrammatic, view of the Wiring system by means of which the indicator proper is controlled. Fig. 3"is a view of the indicator proper and Fig. 4 is a similar View of the switch memher by means of which either of the circuits which control the several indicators may be readily brought into use by the driver of the car. I

Fig. 5 is a detached view of the switch lever 29.

Fig. 6 is'a relatively enlarged transverse, sectional, view of the indicator proper, taken on the line 66 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 7 is a relatively enlarged, transverse, sectional, view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Briefly described my improvement consists of a plurality of signals (that are capable of being illuminated), indicating respectively left, right and stop, as here shown, and means controlled electrically for illuminating either of said signals by means of a single switch handle.

Referring to the annexed drawings, the

numeral indicates the indicator proper as a whole, said indicator, as illustrated, consisting of a circular housing mounted upon a base-plate 21 which may be secured to some convenient part of the body of the automobile, said housing being divided into three compartments in each of which is an electric lamp 23, the otherwise open front of the housing being closed by a glass 24 upon WlllCl'l is printed or painted letters or charactors to denote the desired signals as, for example, the letter L to indicate left, the letter R to indicate right and the letter fS to indicate stop the arrangement being such that only that signal will be illuminated whose particular lamp is lighted.

Secured to the steering wheel of the auto, 1s a housing 25 which is circular in form, as here shown, said housing being mounted on a base plate 26 which is, preferably, mounted on the steering wheel 27 of the auto: (See Fig. l of the drawings). Fulcrumed at 28, to the underside of the top plate of the housing 25 is a switch lever 29 whose neck portion 30 is located in a circumferential slit in the wall of the housing, the length of said slit being such that the-switch lever may rock a limited distance on its fulcrum 28 and said switch is provided with an operating handle 31.

The other end portion of the switch lever, that is to say the end which is located within the housing 25, is adapted-to engage either one of three terminals a, b 0 located in the housing, as will perhaps be best understood byreference to Figs. 2 and 7 of the drawlngs. circuit with the three signals which I have referred to, and with a battery 01 or other source of energy, and with the switch, as seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the wiring plan being such that, when the switch lever 29 is moved to close the circuit which includes the terminal a, the lamp back of letter L will be lighted, thus attracting the attention of the driver of a car following and notifying him that the leading car is about to turn to the left hand. WVhen the switch lever 29 is moved to close the circuit which includes the terminal I) the letter R will be illuminated and when the switch is closed at c the letter S will be illuminated, thus giving notice that the leading car is about to stop.

The top plate of the switch housing 25 is cut away, as seen in Fig. 4, to provide two openings that are spaced apart, as at 32, one of said openings being approximately twice the length of'the other opening, as here illustrated; the smaller opening being closed by a glass, or other transparency, on which is These three terminals are wired in Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented Aug. 14, 1917.

printed or painted the letter R, and in the longer opening are printed or painted the letters S and L. The switch lever 29 is formed with an extended plate portion which is provided with an opening 33 that is adapted to register with the openings in the top plate 25 as the switch is rocked on its fulcrum. lVithin the switch housing is an electric light bulb 34: which is included in the switch circuit (see Fig. 2), the arrangement being such that, whenever the switch is moved to close either of the three described circuits, the lamp 34: will be lighted, and will illuminate the particular lettered opening in the top plate that is in register with the opening 33, thus indicating to the driver of the car that the described signal in the housing 20 has been illuminated.

When the switch is set so its opening 33 is mid way between the lettered openings in the top-plate 25, the circuit will be open and the light 34: will be dead.

It will now be understood that, by suitably adjusting the switch lever, by means of the operating handle 31, either of the three circuits may be closed and either of the signals illuminated.

I do not wish to confine myself to the use of these signals upon automobiles only, as I find they can be used to advantage for various other purposes.

My described invention may be very cheaply produced, it may be operated and checked, by the method previously described in this specification, without the driver of the car removing his attention from the steering wheel and it gives timely notice to following cars of all proposed changes in direction to be taken by the leading car.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and Wish to secure by Letters Patent 1. A selective switch of the class described comprising a circular housing provided with a peripheral slot adjacent the top thereof, terminals mounted on the base thereof, a switch lever fulcrumed to the under face of the top of said housing, a U-shaped integral extension on one end of said lever arranged to contact with said terminals at certain positions of the lever, a neck extension formed on the lever at the opposite end projecting through the circumferential slot in said housing and a handle on said neck to operate the lever.

2. A selective switch comprising a circular housingprovided with a circumferential slot adjacent the top thereof and also having predetermined openings in said top, terminals mounted on the base of the same, a segmental switch plate fulcrumed to the under face of said top and provided with an opening therein adapted to register with the aforesaid openings, and an integral U-shaped extension on one end of said plate adapted to engage the terminals in certain positions of the plate, a neck extension on the opposite end of said plate projecting through said circumferential slot, a handle on the neck and a signal within the housing in circuit with said terminals to be observed through the registration of the aforesaid openings in the plate and the top of the housing.

CHARLES SMITH JAMESON. 

